I Can Give You Oliver [Interview]

Recently, Vaughn Oliver & Oliver Goldstein of the aptly-named duo Oliver released their debut Mechanical EP on Fool’s Gold Records. So far the album has done extremely well, reaching #1 on Beatport’s Indie Dance/Nu Disco chart. The EP is a welcome reminder that successful EDM does not hinge on producing the dirtiest drop or the most ecstasy-inducing chord progression. Oliver’s music simply marches to the beat of its own funky and sexy drum and we couldn’t be happier.

The four-track EP is bursting with all of the originality and character we’ve come to expect from the duo. Whether you’re bumping the salacious ‘Night Is On My Mind’, the retro-dystopian ‘Mechanical’, or the fast paced electro-disco heaters ‘MYB’ and ‘Control’, this album WILL make you dance. We were so delighted by this release that we reached out to the duo to get some more information on everything Oliver:

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ICanGiveYouHouse: For those who are not yet familiar, who are the gentlemen behind Oliver? How did you two meet?

Oliver: Vaughn used to make trips to LA to work on music, at that point we were just making beats, nothing serious really. Once Vaughn made the move to LA it just happened naturally, we made a song called “Walk With Me” and decided to just release it on the internet under the name Oliver, after that it got picked up by the french label Kitsuné.

ICGYH: How would you describe your sound to listeners?

Oliver: We have a hard time describing our music but the one thing that kind of ties it all together is the disco and 80′s pop roots. That’s the music we grew up on and it just comes out of us when we make music, we like music that grooves and has an emotional element to it, we’re not afraid to use jazzier chords in some of our songs too. We both come from a hip-hop background and a lot of our favorite songs sampled jazz and R&B records. Also the early french house and techno scene was a huge influence for us.

ICGYH: For all the aspiring producers, can you give us a brief “under-the-hood” description of your studio setup (hardware/software).

Oliver: Logic and Protools are the center pieces in the studio, most of the work is done on the computers. We have many analog pieces of gear too, we actually just did a feature for Future Music Magazine where we show all the gear we use and some of the creative process, stay tuned for that.

ICGYH: Tell us a bit about your recently released Mechanical EP on Fool’s Gold. Where did you draw your inspiration from for the tracks?

Oliver: There are a lot of great artists out there that greatly influence us; Jacques Lu Cont, Toro Y Moi, Gesaffelstein, Justice, Para One, The Sneekers, In Flagranti, Soulwax, Tiger & Woods and old stuff like Kano, Change and Roy Ayers but it changes every week.

ICGYH: The EDM world seems to be becoming largely overcrowded with over-commercialized pop or bandwagon genres (READ: trap), but just by listening through your discography, you’ve really kept the integrity of your sound intact. Has this consistency been an important pillar of your direction? How are you pushing your sound forward?

Oliver:It has, for one it actually forces us to get in the studio and finish something. I think if you trust your instincts and feel what you’re doing, the music will always progress, if we ever stop caring about the music or lose the passion it’ll stop moving forward. For now we’re in a good place creatively.

ICGYH: Do you think there is a larger market for nu-disco/funk scene outside of its niche roots in LA and NYC? Have you seen the scene growing in any particular manner?

Oliver: We don’t really pay much attention to that, we just make what we like and hope other people do to.

ICGYH:What has been the best show you’ve played so far?

Oliver: I think the greatest thing we’ve been a part of is Holy Ship and all the Hard events, they’re just so well put together and the energy is always amazing. What is cooler then being on a private island in the Bahamas and dancing to a Justice disco set on the beach?

ICGYH: What other artists that we should be paying attention to this year?

Oliver: So many great things out there to listen to right now. Start with all of our label mates on Fool’s Gold, and then check out DESTRUCTO, he’s the man.

ICGYH:What’s the most exciting part about making music right now for you both?

Oliver: The first steps of the creative process are always the most inspiring. But finally getting finished with something that’s taken so much work is also incredibly rewarding.

ICGYH: Mechanical has got us so excited to hear what you fellas have in store for 2013? Any hints at upcoming releases?

Oliver: 2013 is going to be a busy year for us. We’ve got the Wurld Turr in March with Dillon Francis and will likely follow that up with another tour in the Summer. We have a couple of new remixes on the way, and hopefully we’ll release some more original music.

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Support Oliver and get your copy of Mechanicalon iTunes or Beatport today.

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